


Candlelight

by Crazyeight



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Tamers
Genre: Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, Candles, Cooking, Developing Relationship, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Power Outage, Rain, Romantic Friendship, Sharing Clothes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 18:48:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17249462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazyeight/pseuds/Crazyeight
Summary: A little thunder. A little storm, and in the darkness, a play by candlelight. A shadow on the wall, or could something more arise in the storm of friendship and love?





	Candlelight

Thunder rumbled in the sky as Takato's feet beat upon the streets of Shinjuku, pausing every so often as he checked a gold-trimmed, white, arc-shaped device. A holographic compass rose up from its screen, indicating the direction he was to go in, and he changed his course accordingly. As he drew closer to his destination, he began to pass frightened people and damaged property. Pressing his lips together tightly, he pushed his legs, forcing himself to move even faster. He heard the sound of fighting now. Danger was afoot for sure now. A Wild One… A digimon had bio-emerged from the digital world and even now was wreaking havoc.

With no thought for his own safety, he rounded a corner and ground to a halt just in time to find a giant, triceratops – a digimon called a _Triceramon_ – towering before him, standing on its hind legs, great claws raised defensively. Its scaly hide was battered and bruised, and one of its horns was missing. In front of it, through the gap of its legs, he saw the familiar purple and gold boots that could only belong to one person, or rather, _two_ persons merged as one.

"Sakuyamon…" he breathed, and as though his voice were a signal, the creature looked over its shoulder and spied him.

"Well, well… A hostage…"

_"Don't you_ dare!" shouted Sakuyamon as the dinosaur suddenly spun about toward him, the earth quaking beneath its feet. Takato staggered back in shock, suddenly aware that he had no way of defending himself.

_Stupid! Stupid, stupid…!_ he berated himself, the dinosaur rearing over him with a snarling laugh.

The Triceramon didn't get very far however as a band of violet energy wrapped about its body and _shrank,_ crushing the dinosaur and shattering it into a cloud of sparkling light

"Takato!"Sakuyamon shouted, bursting through the cloud of light, revealing a tall, white-haired woman in a black bodysuit, golden armor and a fox-shaped mask over her pale face. "Are you all right?"

Takato breathed a massive sigh of relief as the shaman priestess landed in front of him, the rings atop her bronze, vajra staff jingling as she did so.

"Oh yeah! Thanks! You just saved my life, Sakuyamon."

Bringing a gloved hand up to Takato's face, tracing her fingertips against his skin, the shaman smiled.

"It's nothing," she said softly before suddenly pinching his cheek, causing Takato to yelp in surprise.

"Hey! Ow! Sakuyamon!"

"That's _for showing up to a fight without Guilmon,"_ the priestess scolded sternly in a new voice now, this one belonging to a much younger girl than Sakuyamon appeared. _"Seriously, what were you thinking? Where_ is _Dinoboy, anyhow?"_

"Um…" Takato scratched the back of his head as Sakuyamon relinquished her grip on his cheek. "Well, he said he was going to help out at the bakery while I was at cram school and that's…a ways away from home. He's probably on his way here though."

Sakuyamon _harrumphed_ in the girl's voice before suddenly tousling Takato's hair

"H-Hey! Rika… Cut that out! I'm sorry, all right? Come on…"

Sakuyamon giggled mischievously in the girl's voice again as she only proceeded to ruffle his hair even more in spite of his squirming protests.

_"Then let this be a lesson to you for making me worry, Takato,"_ she chided. _"Otherwise, I'll do more than pinch your cheek."_

A soft glow then materialized around the tall priestess-warrior's body and she soon shrunk and parted into two forms, one belonging to a teenage, red-haired girl with violet eyes while next to her stood a tall, bipedal fox with purple armguards and striking, ice-blue irises surrounded by black.

"I get it, I get it," Takato laughed, briefly managing to slip away. "Man, you really worry a lot about me, huh?"

"You think I wouldn't?" the girl continued with a more serious look, giving his chin a light _bop_ with her fist. "You take a _lot_ of looking after, and I don't want to lose my Gogglehead."

"Jeez… You make it sound like I can't take care of myself."

"With how often you trip over yourself, is it a surprise that I think that?" Rika asked, crossing her arms. Takato scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

"Kinda? I mean, Kazu and Kenta trip over each other and you don't go out of your way to look after them all that much."

"Rika has recently developed a fondness for things she considers 'cute,'" Renamon commented in an offhanded manner. Her cheeks flushing bright red, Rika shot her digimon partner a _dark_ glare.

"I have _not!"_ she protested hotly, but a small smile curved on the kitsune's mouth, just barely visible to the two teens, indicating she wasn't convinced by the girl's protests.

"Oh? Are you saying that I'm mistaken?" she teased, eyes shining in amusement.

"You can't be right all the time," Rika huffed in annoyance, fighting down the ferocious blush that continued to stain her cheeks. "Besides, Kazu and Kenta _always_ annoy me. Takato only annoys me once in a while and is at least amusing when he does it."

"Gee, thanks…" Once more scratching the back of his head uncertainly, Takato gave a light laugh. Not for the first time was he amazed at how much his two friends Rika and Renamon had changed over the years. Gone was the cold and distance, replaced instead by warm playfulness. Rika remained difficult at times to approach with an easily triggered temper, especially when flustered, but it was a far cry from their first encounter where she attempted to kill Guilmon and showed nothing but disdain for his presence.

It seemed almost strange at how close they had gotten. In spite of their rocky start, they had become more like best friends.

_Best friends…_ He thought, realizing that they never used the word between one another before. He wondered if that was because Rika sometimes preferred some things to be unspoken.

"Hard to imagine that Renamon could be wrong about something though," he grinned, earning himself a violet-eyed glare in turn. "I mean, how often has she been wrong?"

Still grinning, he met her annoyed eyes daringly and didn't shrink from them. After several moments, a small smirk began to tug at the corners of Rika's mouth and finally she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Stupid Gogglehead. Why can't I ever stay mad at you these days?"

"Um… Because according to Renamon you think I'm cute?"

"Takato…" came the warning tone, and this time the boy backed off from his teasing, holding up a hand in a placating gesture.

"Sorry. I seem to have caused you a lot of trouble today, haven't I?"

"You can make it up to me by cooking me dinner," she smirked. "My family's out of the house for a few hours and it'll give us time to catch up. It's been a while since we've…"

The sound of thunder boomed overhead just then, and a heavy sheet of rain immediately crashed down on them. Rika turned a renewed baleful look up at the sky before returning her attention to Takato.

"Figures," she grumbled, and Takato laughed again.

"Well, at least we'll be clean, right?"

"Fat lot of chance that'll do if we catch a cold from this," Rika said, snatching hold of him by the wrist. "Renamon?"

"As you wish."

"Wait, wha…?"

That was as far as Takato got before Renamon grabbed hold of them both and, after hoisting them up, leapt into the air, leaving Takato's stomach far behind. His vision of the world blurred as the vulpine digimon teleported rapidly from rooftop to rooftop until, finally, they landed in the yard of Rika's home where she lightly set them down. Wasting no time, Rika tightened her grip around Takato's wrist and pulled him along after her as she dashed toward the house. The boy half-stumbled, still trying to get his bearings about him, but he quickly caught his footing and fell into step beside her. Hurrying up to the front steps, they entered the Nonaka household and kicked off their shoes.

"Wow… That was…something else," Takato laughed breathlessly, water dripping from his hair and soaked school uniform. To illustrate his point, thunder boomed once more, as if frustrated at their having found shelter, and the two teens heard the sound of glasses clattering from the force of the storm.

"It always is," Rika grinned, relinquishing her hold of the boy and starting off into the house. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

"Huh? Oh." Takato looked down at himself, remembering that he was soaked to the bone. "You really don't have…"

"Come on, Gogglehead," she called, using her old nickname for him to show her displeasure for his dawdling. "You're going to cook for me, right? No sense having you do it in damp clothes, and I'm _not_ having you get sick on my account."

Takato looked over at Renamon, who merely gazed impassively back at him, arms folded over her chest, waiting to see what he would do. Shaking his head, he laughed lightly at himself and followed after his friend.

"So…uh…" he began, picking up the thread of conversation again. "You said you wanted me to make you something. Did you have anything in mind? I mean, other than chicken gizzards since I know how much you like those."

From the bathroom, he heard Rika humming to herself, mulling the question over and giving it the weighty consideration it deserved. Takato's skills as a cook had grown over the years, and for Rika particularly had become highly sought after following her sixteenth birthday when he dared to make an eggplant and liver casserole, one of her favorites. Since then, on the occasion that they were able to break away from their studies, Rika would take the opportunity to get him to cook for her, 'celebrating' their brief respite from the stresses of school.

"I'll leave that up to you," Rika replied finally as Takato drew near. "Surprise me."

"Eh?" Takato raised an eyebrow at this, remembering a time not four years ago when he attempted to engage her in a viewing of out of season cherry blossoms. "But you don't like surprises."

Rika popped her head out of the bathroom, causing the boy to jerk to a halt in surprise.

"Not when it comes to your cooking," she grinned, her violet eyes dancing with excited expectation before she glanced down, frowning slightly. Reaching out, she took hold of his school uniform's messily-done tie and began to undo it. Takato blushed furiously at her proximity and suddenly feeling self-conscious about her fussing so much over him, his hands rose up to join hers. At once, their fingers engaged in an odd kind of 'tug of war' over the necktie, both fighting each other for who would undo it. Becoming agitated, Rika gave it a sharp _yank_ and glared up at him.

"Takato! Will you knock it off? I've got…"

"I can handle it! Why are you…?"

"I said to knock it off! Great. Now I've lost that end. Just let me get thi… Oh for goodness sake! You're making this harder than it should be, you stupid Gogglehead! Seriously, what's eating you?"

"Not you," Takato laughed, attempting to inject some humor into the situation, only to flush even _more_ upon realizing how that must have sounded. As he stood there in utter shock, Rika's now wide eyes stared at him in equal amounts of surprise before her lips began to tug into a smile.

"You… You…" she began, only to falter from the laughter bubbling up in her voice. Failing to meet her eyes now, Takato looked about evasively.

"Ah… I meant…! I mean… That is… Er… What…do I mean?"

He eventually just snapped his mouth shut with a loud, embarrassed _click_ of his teeth, and began to turn away in the direction of the kitchen.

"I should probably just stop talking and get started on cooking…"

_"Just_ a second there, Gogglehead," Rika laughed, tightening her hold around his tie and giving it a slight tug to keep him in place. Shaking her head at her friend's customary tongue-tangling, she clapped her free hand on his shoulder and steered him back in the direction of the bathroom. "Let's get you dry first. I got out a robe for you to wear while your clothes are in the drier."

"Huh, wha…? You want me to cook in a robe?"

"Well, I _suppose_ you could do it in just an apron, but that would be a bit weird, wouldn't it? I mean, your butt would be hanging out there and…" She paused at the threshold of the door, ignoring the stunned surprise painted on Takato's face, her eyes contemplative for a moment before a touch of crimson reached her cheeks. Suddenly becoming flustered, she pushed him inside the rest of the way and, after beating a hasty retreat, slammed the door shut behind her.

_"And don't come out until you're all done!"_ she called from the other side, leaving Takato standing there, completely dumbfounded.

"What…just happened?" he asked the quiet. Instead of an answer however, the door suddenly swung open and the next thing he knew, Rika was there again, a towel in hand. She gave him a once over briefly, her face mimicking her hair, before meeting his eyes.

"I forgot to give you this," she said before flinging the towel at him, catching him full in the face with a surprised squawk.

**###**

Rika leaned her head against the closed door, fighting down the blush that now erupted on her face as Renamon appeared beside her.

"Well… You seem to be having fun," the vulpine digimon observed with amusement.

"If by having fun you really mean putting my foot in my mouth like a Gogglehead, you're accurate," the fire-haired girl replied, pushing away from the door and making her way down the hall, eager to get out of her wet uniform as well.

Renamon chuckled at that, falling into step beside her. "You do seem to be taking on some of his more hazardous qualities of late," she remarked. "Though I don't seem to recall him being so…quick to check in on someone when they could have been in the middle of changing."

Rika shot her partner a sharp look, the crimson in her face _deepening_ in response. "Are you trying to say I was looking to _sneak a peek_ on Takato?"

"As your mother and grandmother would say, you _are_ young and they were your age once…"

"Oh please…" Rika rolled her eyes as she rounded the corner and slid open the door to her bedroom. "I'm sure they've been caught out in the rain more than a few times with their friends before. That doesn't mean that I'm trying to play tidily winks with _Gogglehead."_ Sliding her door shut, she flicked the light on and immediately went over to her dresser, where she began rummaging around for fresh clothes. "Things just got…awkward, that's all."

"Hmmm… Speaking of rain…" Renamon gave a nod in the direction of the outdoors. "Perhaps I should find Guilmon and bring him here. I'm sure he would appreciate being someplace that's dry and where his partner is. You don't mind, do you?"

"If it gets you to stop making fun of me, fine," Rika grumbled, picking at a shirt. "You've gotten almost as bad as Terriermon nowadays."

A paw fell on her shoulder just then, and Rika turned to find Renamon's apologetic gaze looking right at her. Feeling guilty, the girl's expression softened and she relaxed a little.

"I apologize for making you upset," the vulpine digimon said, and in response Rika roughly took out a random shirt.

"No, _I'm_ sorry. I'm just…being prickly like always." Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes, listening to the sound of rain pelting the rooftop of her home. It was times like this that she wondered why her friends put up with her. Renamon gave her shoulder a soft squeeze.

"Even a rose has its thorns," the vulpine digimon replied. "Don't be too hard on yourself. If you're being 'prickly' was a difficulty, you wouldn't myself or the others as your friends."

Rika _harrumphed_ at that, not wanting to be convinced, but found herself smiling all the same. Relaxing her grip on the shirt, she turned and hugged her partner.

"Take care out there, all right? And try not to drop Dinoboy on his head or anything. He's got so few brains already as it is."

Renamon chuckled and swished her tail in amusement. "Now who's teasing who? Try not to sneak _too_ many looks at Takato, however tempting it might be."

Drawing back, Rika half-glared, half-smirked at the kitsune.

"All right. Get out of here. But we're going to have a talk about your jokes. Terriermon's had _way_ too much influence on you than is healthy."

Renamon's eyes danced merrily at that. "Momentai," she quipped before vanishing from view, leaving the girl alone with her thoughts.

_Well, not_ totally _alone,_ she thought, glancing at her door, beyond which lay the bathroom and the boy who, for the present, dwelt within. A small smile graced her features and, without concern, took hold of the hem of her uniform's shirt and slid it off, exchanging it for a turquoise sweater emblazoned with the image of a purple heart, all the while wondering what Takato was going to make for them to eat. Whatever it was, she knew it would be good. Takato could be clumsy at a great many things, but food was not one of them.

_I think there's still some leftover bread buns that Grandma bought. That'll probably go well…with…_

She paused in her rummaging for jeans and looked up, heat spreading across her face as she remembered Renamon's teasing before she dug all the harder into the drawer, growling in irritation at herself.

_Might be better to skip out on those buns actually…_

Thunder boomed even louder than before, and the lights flickered, dimmed, and then went _black._

"Terrific," Rika groaned, her shoulders sagging in annoyance. "Just…terrific."

All the power in the house was out. Quickly finishing up with changing, she took out her digivice, activating the scan function so as to allow for a little bit of light. The holographic circle rose up from the screen, displaying Renamon's progress through the kitsune's eyes and casting a dim, blue glow about the girl's bedroom as she searched for something a little more substantial, like a flashlight.

_I probably don't have one in here anymore,_ she thought irritably, rummaging around in her closet, her brow set in a grim line. _Maybe in the kitchen?_

Rika found herself broken out of her thoughts by a gentle rapping on her door, and looking up, she found a dim light peeking in through the cracks of her door.

"Rika?" came Takato's voice from the other side.

"What's the matter, Little Boy?" she called back in a playful tone, closing up a box now that she was sure she wasn't going to find a flashlight in her room. "Did you get scared of the dark?"

"Very funny," came the light laugh.

"I thought so. You can come in by the way. I'm decent."

With that, the door slid open, revealing Takato with his digivice lighting the way as she with hers, still dressed in his damp clothes. Rika scowled upon the sight of his wrinkly, matted shirt pressing tight to his chest before flicking her eyes up at him, her penetrating gaze silently asking him what was up with his lack of being changed. Seeing this, he rubbed the back of his head and gave an apologetic, lopsided grin.

"Couldn't see where you put the bathrobe," he explained. "Figured it was better to keep what I had on, on rather than…ah…you know."

"Right." Rika blushed lightly, her eyes returning to his shirt, taking note of how his button-up shirt clung to him before she shook her head, grateful that the power was out now, at least in part. Getting up, she brushed her jeans off and started towards him." "Come on. Let's find some light."

A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the household before deafening thunder followed, crashing hard upon the air as the rain continued to come down in buckets before tapering off into a distant, low rumble that was soon drowned.

"Man, it's really raining cats and dogs out there," Takato observed, glancing briefly at his digivice and switching over to Guilmon's perspective, finding himself greeted by a big splash from a puddle. "Guilmon's going to be wetter than the water by the time he gets here."

"I'm sure if _someone_ could manage that feat, it'd be Dino Boy," Rika replied, coming to a halt at the bathroom and stepping inside. She emerged a second later bearing a light blue bathrobe.

"Here." She tossed the robe at Takato, who deftly caught it. "How could you have missed it? It was right in front of you."

Takato scratched the back of his head, shifting on his feet awkwardly. Crossing her arms together, Rika tapped her foot impatiently.

"Well, what?" she asked, wondering why he was hesitating. "It's not going to bite."

"No, it's not that. It's just… Um… Well… It's _yours."_

He looked up at Rika and then at the bathrobe, a sliver of crimson heat crossing his face, and one that was soon shared by her as well.

"Stupid…" she grumbled. "It's not like _I_ bite you know."

"I-I know. It's just… _Your_ robe…"

"Takato, you're a little old to think you're going to get 'girl germs' from me, so knock it off." She shook her head in amusement at Takato's embarrassed antics, ignoring the blush that continued to spread across both their faces. "Besides, we don't _have_ any boy clothes here, or did you forget that?"

"N-No…"

"If it's such a big deal I _guess_ I could get you one of Mom's or Grandma's, but…"

She let the sentence drift off, but she didn't need to. Takato more than got the hint.

"Right. Sorry. I'll…uh…just…use yours."

"You do that." Rika shifted from one foot to the other as their eyes met

An awkward silence fell between them just then, and hung there in the air, unspoken before Takato retreated back into the bathroom and closed the door, leaving Rika alone in the dark, heat creeping from her cheeks and down her neck and across her ears. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to compose herself, failed, but set off anyway to find some much needed light.

_Why did things suddenly have to get so…weird?_ she found herself wondering, yanking open drawers and finding some candles with matches alongside them. Of course, she knew why. _Renamon_ knew why. Had practically spelled it out for her.

_Scented candles,_ Rika cursed, opening the matchbox. _Of_ course, _it has to be stupid scented candles._

She struck a match and set it to the candle, the first of what would be many.

**###**

_Why did things suddenly get so weird?_

Takato stood there in the dark for a moment, pondering the question before he began to pull his shirt off. It clung to his skin tightly, as though reluctant to relinquish its grip on him, but soon enough it slipped free. Shaking his head, he glanced at himself in the mirror, taking note of his still damp, wild and disheveled looking hair before taking up the bathrobe.

He paused in sliding his arms into the sleeves, the thought from earlier making itself known to him once more about the robe in question. This was Rika's robe. _Rika's_ robe.

_Oh man…_ he thought, slipping the robe on and tying it off anyway, having no interest in having an argument with the girl in question about his choice of wardrobe. Nonetheless, heat flushed throughout his body as his mind, the cursed engine that drove his imagination, set about envisioning Rika wearing the robe, the blue cloth hugging her lithe form as she gave him an amused, cat-like grin.

_Try not to think about it… Try not to think about it… Try not to think about it…_ He hammered the thought through his mind over and over as his hands fumbled with the belt, only to pause and groan as the mental image of soft, pale skin residing beneath the sea of blue invaded his attention.

_Mom's right. My imagination is_ such _a curse,_ he thought, dragging a hand over his face. _Come on, Matsuki, get a grip on yourself!_

Realizing the double meaning of his thoughts, he quickly ruffled his hair in exasperation toward himself, mussing it up and causing it to be even _messier_ than it had been earlier, a rare feat, as his hair often trended toward messy and untamed even under the best of conditions. Even his class representative had given up a long, long time ago on enforcing the dress code with regards to his hair as it resisted even her attempts at keeping it straight and neat.

Since entering puberty, the last few years had been…interesting to say the least, especially where Rika was concerned. _Everyone_ knew it. Even _he_ knew things between them had become a bit unusual, even for a close friendship. He wasn't quite sure how to describe it beyond a sense of something simmering in the background; a pot steadily rising toward boiling, waiting for the lid to be blown off. Nothing serious (at least not until today), but a word here, a touch there, a furtive look and a blush… Rika dragging him off to cook for her as recompense for his doing something _Goggleheaded_ – to use her preferred terminology for him – that upset her…

_"The two of you have been pretty friendly lately,"_ the memory of Jeri Katou – a close friend of theirs and a girl he had loved deeply before the two of them had broken up – whispered in his mind. He hesitated at that, smoothing out the robe with his hands.

_"Isn't that normal?"_ he had asked back, a touch confused by her question. The question of Jeri being jealous had never entered his mind then. The brunette rarely displayed such tendencies, especially when it came to his and Rika's friendship before and after their breakup. _"Rika's changed a lot. Sure, she's still grouchy and likes to argue, but why wouldn't we be friendly?"_

The memory of Jeri's smiling face flitted through his mind, as did the seemingly disappointed look in her eyes, as if asking him how he could be so dense at times.

_"Have you thought about maybe being even_ more _friendly? The two of you might like that."_

Takato could only give her a befuddled expression, earning him a sigh. The story of Takato Matsuki in a nutshell, though slowly, in the fullness of time, that was starting to change. Even he couldn't deny _something_ was different now between himself and Rika. She had become more playful; more affectionate. More… Almost _possessive_ of him, but that wasn't quite the right word. She just liked his presence, and in times where finding the opportunity was getting harder and harder due to high school's increasing workload, she made use of the opportunities to have him with her when they presented themselves.

_Come on, Matsuki!_ he berated himself. _She's your best friend! Whatever's going on, it's not going anywhere if you stay in here all night you Goggle…!_

Takato jerked in place as his cellphone buzzed violently in his pocket. Hastily digging it out, he flipped it open to find his parents' home number on the caller ID. No doubt they were wondering how he and Guilmon were doing, as they had been gone for quite a while now.

_I'm going to leave out the part where I'm wearing Rika's clothes,_ he thought, hitting the reply button.

**###**

Takato emerged from the bathroom to find a warm glow emanating from down the hall. Following it, he arrived in the dining area and there discovered Rika, lighting another candle; one of many of different shapes and sizes and colors dotting the table. Spotting his approach, she looked up with a small smile, her violet eyes gleaming in the warm light that illuminated the room, casting great shadows all about.

"Hey there. I was starting to wonder if you needed any help."

"Hey, I can handle myself sometimes," Takato laughed, rubbing the back of his head as ghosts of his earlier thoughts continued to linger in his mind. His nose twitched, and he looked about.

_Why am I smelling something like perfume?_

"Uh… What…?" he ventured, only for the embarrassed Rika to hurriedly interrupt him.

"My mom's candles are scented. She likes that sort of thing. It's all that I can find right now, so we're going to have to put up with it until the power comes back on." Rika shook out the match and set it aside. "Well, anyway, we have light again, sort of. Renamon's off to fetch Dinoboy, so all that's left is to sit about and wait."

Their eyes met in the flickering shadows and light, and Takato gave her an apologetic smile.

"Too bad about the power," the boy said, shifting awkwardly. "I know how much you look forward to what I make for you."

"It's no big deal," Rika shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant about it. "Besides. We're still hanging out, and that's fine by me. I…like having you around sometimes. I kind of miss those days where you would just show up whenever instead of being stuck in cram school."

Takato smiled at her softly, touched by her words. "I like being around you too, Rika."

An air of tension seemed to grow between them as the two teens looked at each other, but it wasn't an altogether unpleasant atmosphere. Once more, Takato had the distinct feeling of something simmering in the background; that it wouldn't take much for the lid to be blown off. He shifted again, fumbling for something to say to break the silence.

"Man, it almost feels like we're having a romantic evening or something."

He blushed hotly just then, realizing what he just said out loud, and his eyes shot over to Rika, who, in spite of her own blush, merely smirked at him in amusement, as though she were… _pleased_ by the notion.

"Yeah? Are you going to woo me then, Takato?" she asked. Despite the playfulness that lay within, there was also an undercurrent of tension. A tension that, for some reason, seemed to challenge him to continue.

Takato's mouth quirked into an uncertain, lopsided grin, the heat in his face growing in intensity. Of course. _Of course,_ she was going to mess with him. She _always_ did that whenever he put his foot in his mouth.

"I guess I could give it a shot," he replied with a nervous chuckle, deciding he had nothing to lose by playing along for the time being, as she didn't seem interested in punching his lights out and hanging him from a lamppost by his underwear. Besides, going as far back as when they first knew each other on less friendly terms, Rika _had_ teased him about being in love with her.

_At least this time she's not trying to pound on Guilmon anymore…_

Rika's violet eyes met his, an uncertain light in them now, but still amused. Leaning forward, she cocked an eyebrow, as though curious about just where he would take this little game they had going now, and how far.

"Well?" she prompted. "Where's the wooing?"

Takato swallowed, his mind racing for a response. In their time together as friends, he hadn't given thought to 'wooing' Rika, especially after the disaster of her thirteenth birthday where he attempted to invite her to go cherry blossom watching with him – something she described then as 'stupid.' Now, faced with this unexpected challenge, he wracked his brains for ideas.

Just how _did_ someone go about wooing the Digimon Queen?

_Man, Ryo makes it look so easy whenever he flirts with her. Then again, Ryo makes_ everything _look easy._

"Takato, you're leaving me hanging here," Rika said, her smirk slipping a little and a touch of concern appearing in her eyes, as if wondering if she had pushed their game a little too far. Snapping back to attention, Takato did the first thing that came to mind and drew his goggles off his head, earning him a raised eyebrow from the fire-haired girl.

"Figured I'd look the part first," he said, seeing her questioning look. "I know I can look a little funny wearing them, and…well." He gave another lopsided smile, the red in his cheeks standing out prominently even in the flickering candlelight. "A-A guy should look good for the girl they like, right?"

Takato wanted to kick himself as Rika's own blush deepened and she looked away, seemingly embarrassed.

"I think you look fine," she muttered under her breath, causing Takato to cock his head to one side, having not quite caught what she said.

"Huh? What did you…?"

"I said w-what next?" Rika stammered out instead, shooting him a sharp look that ended further interrogation. "So, you've got the look. What else is there?"

At this Takato scratched the side of his head thoughtfully. "I guess I could read poetry…"

"Didn't you get a 55 in poetry?"

"Something like that," Takato laughed. "Okay, I'll definitely need to think of something else. What about dancing?"

"Dancing. You." Rika stared at him flatly. "Takato, I hate to break it to you, but you're the king of tripping on flat surfaces."

"Hey! I _can_ dance!" Takato exclaimed, planting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest in false indignation. "And sing!"

"And break wine glasses," Rika snickered. "Why don't we stick to things you're _actually_ good at, like cooking and drawing." She frowned in the direction of the kitchen. "Too bad we'll have to skip out on the cooking part tonight…"

"Hey, we can still eat," Takato said determinedly. Somehow, this evening had lit a fire in him. He wanted to make the best of it; to not let his friend down, no matter what the atmosphere was between them. "You know as well as I do that we don't always need a stove to fix something. I'm sure I can do it. Let me see what you've got first before deciding if we're going to starve."

"Ever the optimistic," Rika grinned, rolling her eyes as he started toward the kitchen. "But that's what I love about you."

"Ah jeez…" Takato blushed even harder at that and quickened his pace, unable to stop the smile that threatened to break his face apart. Rika watched him go for a moment before following after him into the kitchen, the two of illuminating the way with their digivices.

**###**

_When did I start sounding like such a dork?_ Rika found herself wondering as she watched Takato poke around in her family's fridge, mumbling to himself as he considered their options. Love. She wanted to kick herself for saying such a thing out loud. When did she _ever_ consider using such a word to describe how she felt about Takato?

Fortunately, Takato being Takato, he simply took her words in the friendly spirit he no doubt imagined they were intended and left it at that rather than dwell on it for fear of becoming – as Rika often put it – a 'Gogglehead,' fumbling with both words and feet and embarrassing them both.

Oddly enough, as much as that frustrated her at times, she found that behavior from him oddly pleasant to watch.

_Do I like him?_ she wondered, thinking back to Renamon's words from earlier. _In 'that way?'_

Her eyes fell on the back of his head, losing themselves in his brown hair, illuminated by the light of their digivices, and, not for the first time, did she feel an odd desire to run her hands through his locks, and at the notion she felt her face heat up as her heart skipped a beat.

_Great. I'm turning into one of those stupid girls I go to school with,_ she grumbled mentally, looking away so as to not tempt herself further. The last thing she needed was to awkwardly explain why she was patting his hair. This proved to be something of a mistake, as she found the warm glow of the candles down the hallway, and her conversation with Renamon was quickly replaced by Takato's own, fumbling observation of the scene he had found after getting changed.

_Jeez… It really_ does _look like we're having a romantic dinner, doesn't it?_

She sniffed in annoyance at the notion. Perfume scented candles like what her mother enjoyed were far from what she would like in a date. She…

She paused and glanced back at Takato as he sat hunched over a packet of meat, reading over the label as carefully as possible in the dim light. Now that she thought about it, what _did_ she want in a date?

She curled the fingers on one hand about her waist and shifted awkwardly, feeling increasingly flustered.

"Haven't you figured out what you're going to make yet?" she asked, impatience slipping into her voice while wishing she didn't feel so irate all of a sudden. Takato didn't deserve that.

Fortunately, the brown-haired boy didn't seem to be the least bit fazed by her sudden attitude, so focused on the label and decision that he hummed in thought before handing her the meat. Rika glanced at it, eyes narrowed as she pieced out the kanji.

"Sashimi?"

"Yeah," Takato nodded. "We won't have to cook it since it's fresh enough. I can probably get a little inventive with it if you want. Use a little curry for flavoring and add in some pickled ume… Hmmm… Quite a bit of rice already made up too, so that's helpful for having a little something to stick to your ribs. Lots of vegetables I can use…"

Rika smiled as he went on. He was in the zone now, focused entirely on his task and problem solving it. There would be no fumbling here unless something shook him loose. It was… _fascinating_ seeing this change with him. It wasn't like he became a different person, but it was so unlike him at the same time – used as she was to him sticking his foot into his mouth on a regular basis and getting flustered over it – that one would wonder if he was being mind-controlled by a Parasimon or something of that nature.

Suddenly Takato was up and closing the door to the fridge with a bump of his hip. "Okay! I think we're all set here, so it's just up to getting it all made up." He paused and looked at Rika uncertainly. "Your family won't mind us using this, will they? I mean, I know they let me have the run of things when you have me here, but…"

"I'm sure they'll understand seeing as how I kidnapped you again," Rika replied, climbing to her feet and heading over to the countertop, Takato soon following after her. "If there's a problem, I'm sure I can work something out to make up for it."

"Don't you mean 'we'?"

Rika smirked at Takato's unfailing desire to stand by her and she nodded, reluctantly, knowing that he wouldn't put up with her taking all the blame.

"Fine," she replied, rolling her eyes at him. Searching amongst the kitchen equipment, she glared about her. Seeing this, Takato quickly produced a knife and handed it to her. Huffing in annoyance, she immediately began to cut open the packaging to the meat. "Now let's get this started."

"I thought you wanted me to cook for you?" Takato laughed, setting the rest of their ingredients down. Rika _harrumphed_ at that, though the amused look on her face told a different story from her tone.

"Without power, technically there's no cooking involved. Besides, it's not like there's a whole lot to do right now anyway, and I don't want to be bored."

Takato could only laugh at that as he withdrew a cutting board, causing Rika to frown slightly at this – as though annoyed that he knew his way about her home so well – and the boy to raise an eyebrow at her questioningly upon seeing it. Rather than give him a response, she began to remove the meat from its packaging and set it aside for Takato, knowing he would prefer to prepare it. Taking up the vegetables, she began to awkwardly cut them apart. She wasn't used to this, tending to leave this sort of thing to her family and Takato, and it showed, but she quickly got used to it. She kept a sharp eye on the knife as she went, not wanting to make a slipup. In her mind's eye, she envisioned just what might happen if she did. A wrong move, a quick, burning pain and blood… And Takato would be there, half freaking out as he dragged her to the sink to wash the cut out. And then, later, he would bandage her hand, his touch surprisingly gentle as he smiled with relief that her injury wasn't worse than it could have been…

The knife paused on the cutting board and she glared at it.

_Did I_ seriously _just imagine that?!_

She began to cut all the more furiously at the vegetables, the intensity growing with each second. She…

"Rika, what are you…?"

Takato's words were cut off as the knife bit into flesh, and Rika jerked her hand back with a cry.

**###**

_I am such a Gogglehead…_

Rika tapped her foot on the floor in annoyance as Takato finished plying the bandage about her injury. His touch was, as expected, firm, but gentle, and she found herself gazing at his hands as they went about their work. She found that a bit…odd. Now that she thought about it, until she and their friends Henry, alongside their respective digimon, had made bread, she never actually noticed them before, powdered with flour. And even then, she hadn't given them much thought until more recent years.

She wanted to be mad at herself for such thoughts. That was _Jeri's_ sort of thing. Not hers. She couldn't though, so she instead let herself be mad at allowing such thoughts to cause her injury.

_I am_ such _a Gogglehead!_

"Man, you're as stiff as that cutting board," Takato laughed, keeping his tone jovial as he checked to see that the bandage was tight. Rika grunted and pulled her hand away, unhappy with how the tables seemed to have turned between them. She didn't like being pampered in such a manner, as though she weren't capable of handling things herself.

_Except when it comes to cooking, I guess…_ she mused, flexing her bandaged hand

"Sorry to bother you," she grumbled, once again earning her a raised eyebrow from her friend.

"Rika… You're _not_ bothering me. Man, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

_You, apparently,_ she thought, thinking once more of Renamon's words, though she didn't say that out loud. "Nothing," she replied out loud, shifting uncomfortably before fixing Takato with a hard, but curious look. "I don't bother you, huh? I sure give you a lot of trouble though, dragging you here and making you cook meals for me."

Takato shrugged and gave another laugh, rubbing a hand through his scruffy hair.

"Is that what's bothering you? Rika, it's nothing to get worried about. You like what I make, and I like making it for you." Collecting the First Aid kit, he closed it up. "You're one of my best friends. Why _would_ I be bothered by you?"

"Maybe because I can be… _prickly."_

Takato was silent for a moment before a mischievous glint emerged in his eyes. Lifting a hand, he set it atop Rika's head and patted it. At that, the girl _glared_ at him.

"Takato? What are you doing?"

The other teen's hand paused in mid pat, and his grin quirked. He obviously knew he was courting danger, yet his hand stayed in place, waiting to see what she would do.

"Um… Waiting for you to prick me?" he asked, a twitter of a laugh just hanging on the edge of his voice.

_So, he finds this_ funny, _does he?_

At that, her hand shot out and gripped his cheek, tugging on it playfully, though with a bit of force behind it to get her annoyance across.

"Prick you, huh? You like that I'm prickly? Wouldn't have known it with how you walk around eggshells with me sometimes, _Gogglehead._ I wouldn't have taken you for being like Ryo."

"There, see? You…sound like you're feeling better…already," Takato guffawed between tugs, and once more a smile tugged on the corners of the girl's lips.

She _hated_ it when he did this to her. She _hated_ his stupid smile that just never seemed to quit and always tugged on her heart strings, making her want to smile in return. She _…_

She was caressing his cheek.

Both of them blinked at each other as they found her grip relaxing and press against his face. Her thumb glided along his cheekbone, smoothing out the red that had formed from her pinching him. Red that was rapidly growing across his face, mirroring her own.

"Rika…?" he whispered softly, his eyes growing at her touch. She squirmed under his gaze and in a flash, pinched his cheek again.

"Ow! H-Hey! What…?"

"S-Stupid Gogglehead… Quit staring."

Shooting up from her seat, she darted toward the door, only to pause at its threshold. Pressing her lips together, she looked over her shoulder apologetically at him as he got back to his feet, one hand pressed against his face where she had pinched him, his eyes full of concern, but a forgiving smile on his face.

"Sorry," she said, crossing her arms together and leaning against the doorframe. Still smiling, he gave her a shrug.

"Don't worry about it. Come on. We've still got dinner to finish making."

Their digivices held up in front of them again, they carefully made their way down the hall, passing into the dining area where the candles still burned softly. Rika withheld a derisive snort at the sight.

_All that's missing is the wine,_ she thought, her eyes casting over to the wine cabinet in question. She quickly shook her head and dismissed the notion. Setting aside that she wasn't a fan of alcohol, even if she were, who knew _what_ kind of trouble they'd get up to once they began drinking some?

Rika scowled as her body flushed hotly just then. It didn't take long for her to arrive at an all too clear idea just what that kind of _trouble_ would be.

"Are you all right?"

"Hm?" Rika's eyes swung over to Takato's, and she lifted an eyebrow questioningly.

"Well, you were shaking your head, like you were saying 'no' to something and then you started looking angry all of a sudden, so I just…uh…wondered if something was up."

"Nothing is _going_ to be up, so don't worry about it," Rika grumbled irritably before, after some quick thought, retreating into bravado and smirking at him. "Nothing I would pinch you about anyway."

"Ah jeez…" Takato laughed as they stepped into the kitchen to finish preparations.

**###**

Renamon appeared at the front step with Guilmon some time just as the two teens were preparing to sit down with their meal, both digimon dripping wet. Upon seeing his partner, Guilmon's golden eyes lit up and he quickly darted over to him, leaving a trail of water behind him as he did so.

"Takatooo!" he cried out gleefully, almost bowling the boy over and upsetting his dish. "I'm so glad to see you and…" He paused and sniffed the bathrobe before looking up at his partner in confusion. "You smell like Rika."

_"Don't_ go getting any funny ideas, Dinoboy," Rika intervened. "He had to wear _something_ because his uniform was soaked to the bone. Since I'm not a boy or my mom, selection was limited."

"Ah… Okay," Guilmon said, tilting his head to one side, wondering what Rika meant by 'funny ideas.' If there was a joke somewhere in Takato wearing Rika's clothes, he couldn't see it.

"How long has the power been out?" Renamon asked, approaching from behind, her fur slick and matted against her body. While her voice betrayed no emotion other than being glad to see Rika again, the fire-haired girl knew that the vulpine digimon was disappointed at not having herself a date with the hairdryer.

"A little over an hour now, I think," Rika replied, patting Guilmon on the head. "We still have towels. At least those don't depend on electricity to work."

"I don't need a towel," Guilmon beamed happily as Renamon disappeared from view, only for Rika to narrow her eyes at him.

"Yeah, I _know_ what you mean by that. House rules, Guilmon. You're getting a towel."

"Ohhh… Even if I shake myself off out here?"

Do I _really_ have to answer that?"

Her tone held all the finality of a sledgehammer, signaling to Guilmon that there was no need. His ears wilting, he knelt down.

"Just not your day, huh, boy?" Takato chuckled as Renamon reappeared next to the dinosaur, looking a touch _fuzzier_ than before, but drier, and she passed a towel over to her digital companion for his use.

"It doesn't appear to be anyone's day today," the kitsune noted. She glanced over at Rika, who squirmed under her gaze before turning away.

"Yeah…well…at least Takato managed to make something, so at least there's a silver lining. We've made plenty for all of us. Well, plenty except where Dinoboy's stomach is concerned. Everyone might want to keep their distance so he doesn't end up eating us all."

"Ohhh… Takatomon… Rika's making fun of me again."

"Maybe if you weren't such a glutton, Guilmon, she would leave you alone," Takato laughed as Rika set her plate and drink on the table.

**###**

Cold.

Rika had little love for things that were cold, especially after an encounter with the ice-themed IceDevimon some years ago during the first year of her adventure as a Tamer. However, this time she could say, with full honesty, she could make an exception for it. Her chopsticks taking hold of a piece of sashimi, she slipped it into her mouth and closed her eyes, enjoying the flavor.

_It might not be warm, but his heart is in it, and that more than makes up for it._

Opening her eyes, she turned to look at the teen. He was sitting beside his partner, his hands making shapes, using the candles to cast animals onto the wall. Guilmon's eyes were wide with awe, and he looked down at his claws before attempting to mimic the boy. Unfortunately, due to the shape of his 'hands' (being just three claws pointing forwards) he had limited motion, and he looked down mournfully.

"Takato… Why didn't you draw me with hands like yours?"

"Sorry, boy," Takato apologized. "I wasn't exactly thinking that you would be real someday. Plus…ah…I was also just a kid."

_'Still_ a kid," Rika snorted with a smirk, to which Takato gave a light grin, as did Renamon.

"As are you," the kitsune teased. Rika rolled her eyes.

"Oh, don't _you_ start now, Renamon. I've got _loads_ more maturity than Takato and you know it."

"Do you now?" Renamon's eyes sparkled at that. Getting up, she made her way over to where Guilmon and Takato sat, her tail flicking about.

"Renamon?" Takato asked, looking at her questioningly while Guilmon beamed happily at her presence.

"Does Renamon want to try playing shadows with us?" he asked, the tip of his tail twitching in excitement. Renamon _rarely_ played with him or Terriermon, and such moments, when they did occur, were to be treasured.

The vulpine digimon cast a glance back at Rika, who now knew what she was up to.

_She's trying to get me to say something like how it's immature and she shouldn't do it._ Her eye twitched at that, but she held herself back, not wanting to give her partner the satisfaction of proving her right.

She watched as a smile touched Renamon's muzzle and she drew her hands together. The shadows on the wall flickered, and at once a fox took shape.

"W-Whoa…" Takato's mouth fell open at the sight and Guilmon raised his arms up in excitement, accidently obliterating the fox shadow.

"Ah! Guilmon…"

"Ohhh… I'm sorry, Renamon…"

"No worries," Renamon replied as Guilmon lowered his arms. At once the shadow fox snapped back into view. "After all, a fox always returns to its home at the end of the day, and this one still has a tale or two to tell." She glanced over at the brown-haired boy next to the dinosaur. "Takato? Would you care to share one?"

"Hm?" Takato pointed at himself, a bit surprised at first before scratching the side of his head. "Hmmm… Okay, sure. Uh… A story…" He pondered it for a bit before nodding to himself. "Well, since the theme is foxes…"

And so, the shadows shifted, taking shapes to suit the story as needed and Rika leaned forward, listening. The story was an old one, and well-worn at that, being one that they knew well from school. Even Renamon and Guilmon had heard of it after so long in the real world, though Guilmon at least remained enthralled by it. Watching the shadow play, she found herself swept back… _Back_ to a time before electricity and sprawling metropolises. To a time when winter bit more readily and fires were a small guard warding against the chill. A time when swords ruled the land.

**###**

Blood stained the snows as the white fox watched the man as he approached it. The fox struggled against the snare that had caught her, but it held fast, keeping her firmly in place. Blood dribbled down from a gash in his forehead, one of many wounds that he sustained battling the hunter that caught the vixen, but he grinned all the same, doing his best to appear friendly to the animal. Dropping down to one knee, the man drew out a curved, short sword, a bright fang of steel gleaming in the light of the sun.

"Easy there," the man said soothingly, taking hold of the fox. "No sudden moves, okay? I'll have you out of there."

The fox licked her nose nervously, dark eyes watching as the blade set itself to the snare and with quick, rapid motions, severed the bindings that held her still. Once loose, the fox immediately began to struggle, and the man drew back swiftly, allowing her the opportunity to take off, and run she did like an arrow, disappearing up the wooded hill in a puff of snow. The man watched her go for a moment, smiling before sheathing his wakizashi. Making his way over to the dead hunter, he retrieved his sword and sheathed that as well. He wavered there, swaying slightly on his feet as his injuries finally made themselves known to him, and he staggered over to a nearby tree to catch his breath.

Certain now that he was fine, he staggered forward, only to collapse into a heap in the snow. It crunched gently beneath him, and red began to run out into it, a small river against the land of white. With a groan, the man's eye flickered open, sensing movement. He found the white fox, having returned, sat a fair distance off now, dark eyes watching him.

"At least one of us lives, right?" he whispered to it. "I am called Yasuna. Take care and live well."

He closed his eyes to the animal, and as he fell into unconsciousness, the fox moved toward him, and upon reaching him, pale hands gingerly brushed against his cheek gently.

**###**

Yasuna awoke in bed, surrounded by the warmth of his blanket. His head hurt, but it felt clear enough for him to take stock of his situation. With a groan, he sat up, and took a look about him. Yes, he _was_ home, or at least it appeared that way to his eyes, lest they deceived him in some manner. The futon was real. The warmth was real. Drawing back his blankets, he saw that his injuries were dressed and cleaned, and next to him were his swords.

"How…?"

"I brought you here," came the voice of a woman, entering into the room. Red of hair, and violet of eyes, she smiled at him. "I found you, lying in the snow, injured. You seem to have fought quite the battle. Did you drive off the demon?"

"No demon," Yasuna shook his head. "Just a man hunting a fox."

"Aren't all men demons to foxes?" the woman asked, and Yasuna barked a harsh laugh at that.

"I suppose I have never thought of it that way before," he admitted. Kneeling, he bowed to her. "You have my thanks. I am called…"

"Yasuna," the woman interrupted with a kindly smile. "You mentioned it before, when I found you."

Yasuna raised an eyebrow at this. He did not remember having done so, or remember having seen her before. However, he had been badly injured at the time, so he shrugged it off.

"I am called Kuzunoha," the woman continued, bowing in turn. "And it is my wish to care for you until you are healed, as thanks for defending foxes from demons."

Yasuna smiled at that. It was a bit odd, to be sure, as strangers rarely helped one another in this world, but she appeared to be honest enough, and she was quite beautiful, with eyes that a man could fall into and never regret it.

_Eyes of midnight,_ he thought before bowing.

"It would be my honor, Lady Kuzunoha," he replied.

**###**

"…and as time went on, they fell in love and had a child," Takato continued, at which, Guilmon raised a claw.

"And lived happily ever after?"

"Ah…"

"That'd be a _no,_ Dinoboy," Rika replied for her partner, giving a dry chuckle. "Which you _should_ know by now."

"Ohhh… But I was hoping that maybe Takato might change it."

"It can be if you want, boy," Takato grinned, to which Rika rolled her eyes.

"Don't encourage him, Goggles for Brains. Are you going to continue the story and tell it like it is, or are you going to make things up?"

As if in answer to her question, the lights flickered and came back on, the shadows vanishing completely and leaving the candles little more than a tiny, flame, their magic pale and gone. The present returned along with all of its wonders, though for the briefest of moments, Rika felt a touch of disappointment that it was so.

"Good timing," Takato said before turning to Renamon. "You make _really_ good shadow puppets. How'd you do that?"

"A kitsune doesn't reveal her secrets," the vixen bowed with a smile. "But thank you."

While Takato collected their dishes, Rika got up and began to blow out the candles.

"Well, Rika?" Renamon asked the fire-haired girl. Rika shrugged, doing her best to appear indifferent.

"You showed them you could do shadow puppets better than anything they could do. I'll live with that."

Renamon gave a small chuckle at that.

"You never change."

Rika glanced at Takato's back as he and Guilmon made their way toward the kitchen.

"Maybe I have in one area," she said under her breath before blowing out another candle.

**###**

The rain continued to come down as Takato stepped out of the bathroom, dressed once more in his school uniform, now dry following a tumble in the drier. His eyes cast about the household, and he soon found Rika down in the entryway, an umbrella in one hand, waiting for him while Guilmon pawed at Renamon's tail beside her. Upon meeting her eyes, he felt a small blush rise up on his cheeks, and he thought back over the course of the day. That feeling of something simmering in the background was back again, and his heart hesitated in response, remembering the way she had caressed his cheek in the bathroom. Still, he approached her, an awkward smile curving on his lips.

"Well… It's been quite the barrel of laughs," he said, at a loss for what else to say.

"It was certainly _something,"_ she acknowledged, frowning slightly at the state of his tie but she opted to ignore it. He would be dealing with it again the next day after all. "Thanks for everything, by the way."

"No problem," he replied, feeling the heat rising in his face once more. The air felt thick between them now, and he found himself increasingly at a loss for words. "Ah… It's…what friends are for, right? So, you know. If you ever want me to make you something again, just…give me a call. Or have Renamon kidnap me."

Rika giggled at that. "You're giving me an awful lot of leeway with you," she said.

Takato gave her a soft smile. "You're worth it."

A luminescent blush bloomed on Rika's cheeks just then and they both stood there, neither of them not moving, seemingly _reluctant_ to part ways with the air between them the way it was.

"Takato…"

"I…"

They both paused, realizing they both spoke at the same time. Rika kicked at the floor irritably.

_This is stupid,_ Takato read the gesture as. Small wonder. Takato felt that he should say something to break the silence and smooth out the tension.

_Why…_ is _there tension to begin with? Why are things so weird all of a sudden?_

Guilmon looked back and forth between the two Tamers, confused by their sudden lapse of silence and reluctance to part ways.

"Ah… Are the two of you trying to say that you like each other, like on TV?" he asked, to which Rika's eyes shot over to him, wide with shock and blazing.

"And whatever gave you _that_ idea, _Dinoboy?!"_ she demanded heatedly, causing Guilmon to quake and duck behind Takato's legs for protection.

_Aaand there we go,_ Takato chuckled mentally. _Digivolved straight to Angrymon, Mega level. Special attacks, Fearsome Glare._

"I think that's our cue, boy," he said, and Rika popped open the umbrella, holding it out for him to take.

"Probably the smartest thing you've said all day," she grunted.

Reaching out, Takato's fingers brushed against hers as he took hold of the umbrella, and he felt the girl jerk at his touch, a blush rising once more to her cheeks. The tension was back and the world stilled around them…briefly, before Takato managed to break it.

"Maybe when I come back to return this…" He lifted the umbrella in indication. "…I can make you something to eat properly? With power? Something that'll be warm?"

Rika relaxed, relinquishing the umbrella to his grip, but taking just a moment to her own touch to linger on his fingers before retracting.

"I'd like that," she said softly before her tone became a touch firmer. "Better get home, Gogglehead. If my mom comes home and finds you still standing here like a moonstruck goofball, I'll never hear the end of it."

With a laugh, Takato quickly bid her goodbye and together with Guilmon, he dashed out into the rain. With a final wave, he disappeared around the corner of the gate and was gone, leaving Rika alone with her partner amidst the sound of falling rain.

"Well…" the girl began after a moment. "That…was _something."_ She cursed herself for the slight quaver in her voice and turned away. "Stupid… _Gogglehead!"_

With that, she spun about and stormed off into the household. Renamon watched her go for a moment, a small, barely hidden smile on her lips before she headed off after her, leaving the rain to tell the story on their own.

**Author's Note:**

> Another project and a half with this piece, having started it roughly at the start of this month, going back and forth on it as I continued my other work. I must admit to not being certain as to how this story was going to end. Fortunately, patience is one of my strong points, and I can, with time, tease out a story when I get a bit stuck with it. Hope you all enjoyed it, and I'll see you next time around. :)
> 
> Happy New Year, everyone.


End file.
